Philosophy 176

We will study the first book of Hume’s Treatise and his
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, aiming to understand the claims and arguments he makes about the nature, origin, and justification of our ideas and
beliefs. We will examine with special care the philosophical issues he
raises about causal inference, causal necessity, and our ideas of material
objects, the self, and God. We will also address more general questions,
including these: What are the explanatory goals and methods of a
“scientist of man”? What lines of thought lead Hume to skeptical
conclusions? How are Hume’s naturalism and skepticism related to one
another?